syria, you know, i was ambassador to syria for three fun-filled years that included the transition from hoffa to bashar. our fearless prediction at the time because i got to know bashar before his father died, we had a series of one-on-ones which we conducted in arabic not because my arabic is perfect, but it was better than his english even though he studied op that moll in the u.k -- opt moll in the u.k., that's all he did. he went to classes, he studied his lectures, he read his textbooks, he in no way entered into british social life. his english has since become quite good, i think it is surging. but bashar is like his father except worse; less flexible, more doctrineaire, less agile and aware that he doesn't have his father's support. so i think this is going to be a fight to the finish. no happy villa for bashar in junta. i would like to be wrong on that. but even if there is, we've already seen the signs of it. just like what happened in my friend chris and his colleagues, the arab spring bears bitter fruit. and nowhere, i am afraid, could it be more bitter than in syria where we're a